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Background

The Pagel's Pit site, located in a predominately rural unincorporated area in the southern part of Winnebago County, consists of about 100 acres on the east bank of Killbuck Creek. It includes the north landfill, which occupies about 47 acres. The new south landfill is not part of the site. The site also includes some of the land west of the creek where contaminated groundwater has migrated. The north landfill began operation in 1972 and has now been closed, having reached permitted capacity.

The landfill operated until reaching capacity and has now been closed. A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1991 for the first operable unit (OU1). OU1 included all of the site except for contaminated groundwater in the southeastern portion of the site. The OU1 ROD called for state-required landfill closure when the landfill reached capacity, including a cover and leachate and gas management systems, and a groundwater pump-and-treat system for the down-gradient groundwater. Final cover and final leachate and gas management systems for the western third of the landfill were installed in 1997, and the cover and management systems were installed for the rest of the landfill in 2000 and 2001. The operator of the landfill is performing the remediation under a Consent Decree (CD) entered in February 1993. A second ROD, issued in 1999, selected no action for the southeastern groundwater and amended the remedy for the western groundwater to monitored natural attenuation (with a contingency for active remediation if the source control and natural attenuation do not restore the aquifer, or if the contamination threatens downgradient wells). The second five-year review report was issued in September 2007. The assessment of this review was that the remedy was constructed in accordance with the two RODs. The remedy was functioning as anticipated and was found to be protective of human health and the environment in the short term because exposure pathways that could result in unacceptable risks were being controlled. However, long-term protectiveness requires compliance with effective institutional controls (ICs). In order for the remedy to be protective in the long term, additional ICs are necessary.

Pagel's Pit is associated with another Superfund site just across the road to the east called the Acme Solvent Reclaiming (Morrisstown Plant).